Adjustable Electrical Device Mounting Yoke
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical devices often are not properly installed with their yokes coplanar to the wall face due to improper depth adjustment, leading to safety and aesthetic issues, as well as potential exposure of wiring and instability.
Innovation Solution
A system for adjustably mounting electrical devices using moveable and fixed yokes with adjustment screws, tracks, and rails, allowing for perpendicular movement to ensure the yoke is coplanar with the wall face, along with features like depressable buttons and removable covers for concealed screws, to facilitate proper installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the electrical box is installed too far backward into the wall, then the installation is simpler and requires less wall opening, but the yoke of the electrical device cannot be coplanar with the front face of the wall, resulting in improper installation and potential safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The yoke is designed with moveable mounting flanges that can be adjusted perpendicular to the face of the electrical device. The mounting flanges are movable along tracks provided on the yoke, allowing the yoke to be positioned at different depths relative to the wall face. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the yoke to be coplanar with the wall face even when the electrical box is installed at varying depths, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and installation precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the yoke is not coplanar with the wall face, then the electrical device can be installed in boxes of varying depths, but gaps are exposed between the electrical device and the faceplate, creating safety hazards and aesthetic issues
Solution Approach 1:
The moveable mounting flanges allow the yoke to be dynamically positioned to eliminate gaps between the electrical device and the faceplate. By adjusting the mounting flanges along the tracks, the yoke can be brought forward or backward to achieve coplanarity with the wall face, ensuring that the faceplate sits flush against the wall and no wiring is exposed, thus eliminating safety hazards while maintaining adaptability to different box depths.
3Manufacturing precision
If adjustment mechanisms are added to the electrical device, then proper installation depth can be achieved, but the device complexity increases with additional components like adjustment screws and tracks
Solution Approach 1:
The yoke is segmented into a fixed portion and moveable mounting flanges. The mounting flanges are separate components that can move independently along tracks on the yoke body. This segmentation allows for adjustment capability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple. The adjustment screws are separate elements that interact with the segmented components, enabling precise control without requiring a completely complex redesign of the entire yoke structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple adjustment screws are used to control the moveable yokes, then precise depth adjustment is possible, but the ease of operation decreases due to more adjustment points
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment screws are positioned such that they work in conjunction with each other to control the moveable mounting flanges. The screws are arranged to provide coordinated adjustment, where turning one or both screws simultaneously adjusts the position of the mounting flanges along the tracks. This merging of adjustment functions allows for precise depth control while simplifying the operation compared to having completely independent adjustment mechanisms for each flange.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables secure, aesthetically pleasing, and compliant installations by ensuring the yoke is flush with the wall, preventing gaps and ensuring safety by solidly supporting the electrical device, regardless of initial box installation depth.
Implementation Method 1
one or more adjustment screws inserted through the one or more fixed yokes and threaded into the one or more moveable yokes, the one or more adjustment screws capable of moving the one or more moveable yokes perpendicularly to the face of the electrical device
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustably mounting electrical device with one or more fixed yokes located perpendicularly to a face of the electrical device, one or more moveable yokes located perpendicularly to the face of the electrical device, and one or more adjustment screws inserted through the one or more fixed yokes and threaded into the one or more moveable yokes, the one or more adjustment screws capable of moving the one or more moveable yokes perpendicularly to the face of the electrical device. The system may comprise mounting flanges that may have threaded hubs or the system may further comprise an electric device having front and back shells moveable on a track in response to depression of a button allowing for movement of the back shell so that the electric device may be mounted having its front face coplanar with a front wall surface.